Offender monitoring is an important aspect of law enforcement. Certain offenders that are placed on house arrest, or that require electronic monitoring, are often fitted with a transponder or transmitter (ankle bracelet) that must be worn at all times. Such transponders or transmitter have evolved over the years and can be manufactured to include tracking capabilities employing global position system tracking using orbiting satellites.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,731,757 issued to Layson, Jr. discloses a “portable locator or tracking apparatus is provided for continuous location determination of subjects which communicates with a body-worn, non-removable, tamper resistant transceiver and a central data-base system. The portable tracking apparatus has a Global Position System (GPS) receiver and inertial sensors for determining location, microprocessors for logic and mathematical algorithm processing, memory for programs and data, a wireless transceiver for communications with the body-worn device, a wireless transceiver for communicating with the central data-base system, an alpha-numeric display for displaying text messages sent to the subject acoustic speaker and microphone for voice and tone messages with subjects, electronic tamper sensors, motion sensors, attitude position sensor, batteries and external connectors for power, recharge, communications and auxiliary antennas.” However, the portable tracking apparatus is relatively large and cumbersome, and weighs on the order of several pounds.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,014,080 issued to Layson, Jr. discloses a “Tamper resistant body-worn tracking device to be worn by offenders or potential victims for use in a wireless communication system receiving signals from a global positioning system (GPS). The tracking device directly communicates spacial coordinates to multiple remote sites. The tracking device is an enclosed case worn on a limb of a person. The case contains a battery, a signaling device, and a circuit board containing a field programmable gate array, a wireless data modem, a conventional GPS receiver, and a matched filtering GPS receiver.” This system employs wireless data modems to transmit offender location data to a central database.
Also, in this system, a cellular network is used to provide communication between an offender's body-worn tracking device and a cell phone carried by the offender. For example, it is stated in U.S. Pat. No. 6,014,080 that “The mobile switching office uses wireless communications 132, 134, 136, 140, 148, 150 through a network cell site 124 to provide communications between the offender's body-worn tracking device 10 and wireless personal communication service (PCS) notification devices such as digital cellular phones 144, mobile data terminals 142 and digital alphanumeric pagers 146.” Thus, in this system, there is no direct communication between the transponder and the cell phone carried by the offender. Thus type of cellular communication between an offender's body-worn tracking device and a cell phone carried by the offender is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,982,281 issued to Layson, Jr.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,889,474 issued to Ladue discloses a “method and apparatus of transmitting subject status information, such as the status and location of a parolee or individual under house arrest, to a central monitoring station (CMS) operated by, for example, a parole staff or correctional facility. The subject status information is transmitted by a band or collar attached to, for example, the leg or wrist of the subject. A cellular radio communicator receives, encodes and transmits the subject status information over the control channel of a cellular radio communications network as control signals, bypassing the voice channels, to a mobile switching center (MSC) of the cellular radio communications network. The MSC decodes and forwards the subject status information over the public switched telephone network (PSTN) to the CMS. Optionally, the CMS may send a command to the communicator over the same data paths, i.e., the PSTN to the MSC, then over the control channel, formatted as a control signal, to the cellular radio communications network communicator. The communicator may integrate a paging receiver, or a satellite receiver, or other wireless receiver for receiving commands out of band, i.e., by way of communication networks other than the cellular radio communications network. The method and apparatus may also be utilized to track to position of more than one subject relative to other subjects or objects.”
U.S. Pat. No. 6,100,806 issued to Gaukel discloses an “apparatus and method of monitoring mobile objects or persons utilizes the Global Positioning System satellites and cellular telephone communications. The apparatus may include first and second remote units adapted to be worn on the monitored person or object. These remote units would comprise the position and data sensors as well as the transmitter device to transmit the information back to a central tracking station. The remote units may be operative to monitor many data items such as system integrity, motion, temperature, audio, and the like in addition to position. This data would then be transmitted back to a central monitoring station operative to process and display the information. The system is also adapted to monitor persons in hazardous environments such as radioactivity or poisonous gases or even to monitor inanimate objects such as automobiles.”
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,266,944 and 5,396,227 issued to Carroll, et al. essentially disclose “electronic monitoring systems” that “monitor an individual for compliance with a protective order.” In these systems, a cellular telephone may be incorporated in a receiving/monitoring device that monitors a transmitter tag worn by the individual, and transmits an ID signal associated with the transmitter to a central monitoring location. However, the systems disclosed in these patents do not use global positioning system capabilities.
However, none of the above-cited patents disclose or suggest the use of a transmitter worn by an individual (offender) that directly communicates with a cellular communication device (cellular telephone) carried by the individual. None of the above-cited patents disclose or suggest the use of a transmitter that employs the use of dual frequencies to communicate with a cellular telephone (or similar communication device) carried by the individual. None of the above-cited patents disclose or suggest the use of a wireless portable monitoring device, such as a personal digital assistant (PDA) or pocket personal computer (PC), for example, that incorporates cellular telephone and web browser capabilities that permits voice communication between a person that is tasked with monitoring an individual and the individual that carries a cellular telephone. None of the above-cited patents disclose or suggest the use of a wireless portable monitoring device, such as a personal digital assistant (PDA) or pocket personal computer (PC), that incorporates a cellular telephone and web browser capabilities that permits voice-activated and web-based tracking of one or more individuals by a monitoring individual. Furthermore, none of the above-cited patents disclose or suggest the use of an offender management system having a central computer that is ported to a plurality of software interfaces, including RF, GPS and integrated voice recognition, and that employs a wireless portable monitoring device that is used by a monitoring individual that has the ability to interface to and remotely manage monitored individuals by way of the respective interfaces.
In addition, conventional transmitters have been designed in a manner that limits their usefulness and effectiveness. For example, no conventional transmitter has operated using more than one frequency. Conventional transmitters are relatively unhealthy, in that the back of the transmitter contacts the skin of an offender or client, and is later reused for subsequent offenders or clients. No conventional transmitter has been designed to have a two-piece design that allows the portion of the transmitter that comes in direct contact with the skin of a client's ankle to be discarded after each client completes the monitoring term, thus improving the hygienic conditions for the client and installer. No conventional transmitter has been designed to be “installed” on an offender or client without using rails, screws, clamps or latches or similar device.
Also, conventional electronic monitoring systems use only single frequency receivers in home monitoring units. The tracking range of the receiver relative to the transmitter is thus limited to one distance, which is typically designed for “away from home” applications. As a result, there are limitations on monitoring the client, when he or she is at home.
No conventional electronic monitoring system has a home monitoring unit receiver that provides for substantially simultaneous redundant dual frequency signal recognition and reception. While conventional monitoring system download data to a central monitoring station, no conventional monitoring system has heretofore provided for a cellular telephone (tracking unit) carried by a client or offender to download client location data to a central monitoring station via a land line attached to a home monitoring unit, and in addition, download client location data using GSM/SMS messaging in the event of a land line failure.
No conventional electronic monitoring system has employed an offender (client) tracking unit that provides for GPS tracking, wireless voice and data receipt and relay, text message display, RF connection to an ankle transmitter, or docked connection to a home monitoring unit, along with software intelligence and memory capabilities that permit such capabilities.
No conventional electronic monitoring system has employed a docking station that (1) interfaces a home monitoring unit to a client (offender) tracking unit, (2) charges the client tracking unit from the home monitoring unit, (3) provides serial connection to the home monitoring unit for land line download of client location and event data, (4) allows the home monitoring unit to utilize the client tracking unit for wireless download of RF information in the event of home monitoring unit land line loss, or (5) disables the RF receiver of the client tracking unit when it is docked.
No conventional electronic monitoring system has a monitoring center that uses multiple offender tracking technologies monitored on a 24 hours, 7 days a week basis with output combined using a web server and presented to a person tasked with monitoring individuals by way of multiple devices, including PDA, cell phone, fax, email and the like. More specifically, no conventional electronic monitoring system provides for the use of integrated voice response technology, radio frequency ankle bracelet technology, and multiple-level GPS technology delivered to a PDA (offender monitoring device) that displays status of an entire offender population regardless of applied monitoring technology.
No conventional electronic monitoring system employs a client monitoring device (PDA) that provides for (1) direct, real time, wireless voice and data access to both the offender and the monitoring center, (2) alerts a monitoring individual (officer) directly from the offender tracking unit (GPS) and RF units using wireless technology, in real time, (3) allows placement and receipt of calls directly between the monitoring center and offender and the monitoring individual (officer) and offender, or that sends and receives data transmissions via a wireless connection. More specifically, no conventional electronic monitoring system uses a client monitoring device (PDA) that allows the monitoring individual (officer) to change the schedule of an client, view client activity, view offender violation history, locate clients (GPS clients), call the client, or view the status of a client.
Conventional electronic monitoring systems have included victim awareness units that only alert a victim of the presence or absence of an offender within a pre-loaded or pre-specified zone. The victim however, may inadvertently come in contact with an offender while performing daily routines such as banking, grocery shopping, or errands, for example. However, no conventional electronic monitoring system has, in a domestic violence application, employed an offender monitoring device (PDA) for use by a victim that allows the victim to locate the offender's location in real time to reduce or preclude unintended collateral contact. Furthermore, no conventional electronic monitoring system has employed an offender monitoring device (PDA) for use by a victim that allows the victim to have data and voice contact with the monitoring center to gain assistance or to a monitoring individual (officer) if permitted by agency requirements.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to have electronic monitoring systems and methods that improve upon the capabilities of conventional systems and methods.